Pattern Break
by Bitter November
Summary: Set patterns could either be followed or broken. Soul and Maka know that there are low points in every relationship; the important thing is getting through them together.


This was something I whipped up for Poisoned Scarlett, to make her feel better. It was a sort of challenge fic, and I thought, hey, wouldnt it be fun to see if I could squeeze in another fic before my Halloween deadline? So if my Halloween story is late, this is why! Hope you enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW! EVEN IF ITS JUST A SMILEY FACE, ITS APPRECIATED! Do I sound desperate? Good. Because I am.

Sometimes, Soul hated being a Deathscythe. Tonight was definitely one of those nights. Fingers shaky from lack of sleep fumbled with the keys and the front door lock, taking several attempts before it clicked unlocked with a small snick. Entering quietly, he removed the constricting black dress shoes from his aching feet to minimize the sound of his steps across the hardwood floor. It was after two in the morning, and he didn't want to wake Maka. At the thought of his wife, he let out a deep sigh, hand coming up to run through his bangs. Married for a little over five years now, and things had been perfect until a few months ago. She had suddenly become cold and distant, freezing him out with stony silences and hostile glares. If she was going for the title of Ice Queen, she had left the competition in the dust.

Making his way down the hallway, he saw a slice of light coming from the bottom of their bedroom door, signaling that she was still up. A few months ago, such a sign would have him grinning in anticipation at the thought of one of her special 'welcome homes', but now he hesitated, almost preferring to stay on the couch. Shaking off that depressing thought, he entered their room, clinging to the shred of hope that things would get better. She was sitting up in bed, holding a book he somehow knew she hadn't been reading. The low light of the bedside lamp illuminated her, wheat colored hair hanging down her shoulders, highlights glinting as she turned her head. The nightgown she wore was neither conservative nor sexy, falling somewhere in the middle, thin spaghetti straps joined the lacey rectangle above her cleavage, lace giving way to silky, rose covered material that flowed loosely to end just above her crossed knees.

Sliding his eyes from the sight, he walked further into the room, ignoring the flare of longing for her. Their sex life had suffered as well; she wouldn't refuse him, but she no longer started anything, and instead of joining in with enthusiasm, her actions were stiff and routine, as if she had severed herself from all feelings and was merely going through the motions. He had stopped trying weeks ago, finding no joy where once it had felt like they had created pleasure out of thin air, spun together like delicate strands of cotton candy, sticky and sweet.

She hasn't said a word, merely darting her eyes from her page to his spot in the room, hummingbird quick. Polished black shoes are tossed into the corner, the clattering they make as they roll over each other sounding like bowling pins being knocked down in the otherwise silent room. The noise is one reason why he does it; the other is to get her to say something, anything, even if it's just to nag him about his slovenly habits. Even at twenty-five, he still resorts to bratty methods in his bid to get her attention. The only sign she gives of noticing is a narrowing of the eyes, and he once again runs his fingers through his hair, this time in defeat.

The tie he's wearing is crimson silk, with tiny, subtle black music notes with skull shaped bases. It had been a gift from Maka for no other reason that she had seen it and been reminded of him, and he remembered how he had kissed her and ruffled her hair when she had given it to him, grinning like an idiot over two feet of cloth. Now it was too tight around his neck, strangling him with memories of a better time. Fingers working the knot loose, he turned to face her.

"Sorry I'm late. You didn't have to wait up for me." he said quietly, letting the tie slide through his hand to coil on the top of the dresser like some exotic species of poisonous snake.

There. Words were out there now, and the ball was in her court. He waited to see what she would do. At first he thought she was going to continue to ignore him, but with slow, deliberate movements she placed a bookmark in the center of her book, setting it on the bedside table, next to the lamp and a half full bottle of mango body lotion.

"Where have you been?" she asks, voice coming out sharper than the edge of his scythe form, making him wince.

Unbuttoning the black suit jacket and hanging it up on a wooden hanger in the closet, he sat on the edge of the bed and began to remove his socks.

"You know where I was. Another stupid Deathscythe meeting where I sat around bored outta my mind. I'm not any good at that shit."

This meeting was just the latest in a long string of many, with Shinigami-sama preparing things for Kid to take over. Soul didn't see the point; Kid was just going to come in and reorganize things the way he wanted to anyway, so why even bother? But as the next in line for head Deathscythe, he was stuck with it. Though Liz and Patty would remain Kid's personal Deathscythes, Soul was better at tactics and negotiation, areas that the Thompsons didn't give a shit enough about to deal with, smirking evilly in the background as he was delegated jobs that they found boring. They prefered to be out on the field, kicking ass and taking names. In truth, Soul did too, but only if Maka was the one wielding him. That hadn't happened in a while now, either. He couldn't even remember the last time they had resonated.

"The meeting was supposed to end at eleven. And I can smell the alcohol on your breath from here." her anger was tightly controlled, but Soul could still sense it.

"Supposed to end. And it would've, if people would just learn to shut up. And yeah, there was wine with dinner-"

"I _bet_ there was." she muttered.

"And I obviously didn't have enough." he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, feeling the telltale signs of a headache forming behind his eyeballs.

"What did you say?" the anger in her voice became more pronounced, rising an octave.

Soul stood up, wearily coming over to stand by her side of the bed, the dark blue carpet feeling nice on his sore toes from where his shoes had pinched.

"I said, maybe I shoulda had more to drink if I was gonna come home to deal with this. Just what the hell is your problem?" He shoved his hands in his pockets for a lack of anything better to do with them, an old habit from back in the days he constantly kept them jammed in jacket pockets.

Her lips pulled back into a disdainful sneer, and Soul felt as if he was staring at a stranger in his bed. What was going on? This wasn't _her_. This wasn't _them_, all this anger and bitterness clogging the air like thick, oily smoke.

"My _problem_ is that you're lying to me. I know you're seeing other women, just be honest about it!" her fists clenched the edge of the striped comforter, the only sign of her emotions as her voice was once again an icy calm.

Soul couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was accusing him of being unfaithful? _Him?_ They had gone all over that years ago before they had even began dating!

"We've been married over five years now! Do you really think I'm gonna do that?" he tried to stay in control of his emotions, honestly not sure whether he was more angry or hurt. At his words, she flinched away, a shadow passing momentarily over her eyes. It was so fleeting he almost missed it, but he had no idea where to go from here and it seemed as good a direction as any.

"Maka, you've been acting strange for months now. Would you just please tell me what's goin' on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've been perfectly normal."

"Bullshit!" he roared, tired of dancing around the issue, tired of this gulf between his meister, his friend, his wife. He was going to get to the bottom of this, and he was going to do it now.

Her head reared back in shock at his tone; if she didn't know better, she would think he wanted to hit her. But that idea was as ridiculous as the queen of England popping in for tea with Mr. Giraffe. It was still disconcerting. She couldn't ever remember seeing him this mad; the closest she could think of was during his fight with Giriko.

Soul wanted to punch the wall, but he knew it wouldn't do anything to actually help the situation, and it would only distract them from the main issue. He wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted nights spent drinking hot chocolate and listening to music. He wanted to fight over the remote control and accuse her of using his good razor to shave her legs. He wanted her to lead him to their room by his tie with the smile that promised things were about to get fun. He wanted to be chopped, because maybe the sharp pain in his head would erase the dull ache that was in his heart.

He was willing to do whatever it would take to get them through this, even if it meant going out and yanking a therapist out of bed so they could start counselling _now_. There was no way he was giving up on them, not as long as there was the tiniest sliver of hope.

Dropping to sit next to her, he tried not to react when she flinched away from him.

"You might as well tell me what this is all about, because neither one of us is leaving this room until we settle things." he spoke with determination, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, preparing for a long talk.

She shifted her weight away from him, the heat from his body and scent of his aftershave an almost unbearable reminder of the closeness that she had been denying herself. She knew she was being petty, being wrong, but she was afraid. This was something she thought she had dealt with years ago, but things believed to be long buried had a way of suddenly reaching up and trying to drag you down with them.

Her shoulders were hunched and tense when she answered him in a weary voice.

"You said yourself we've been married five years. Five years and four months, actually. That's about the time in a marriage when people start to grow tired of one another."

The muscles in his neck and jaw flexed like over-strained cables, the knuckles on his long fingers turning white from his grip on his knees. "Are you tired of me Maka? Is that what you're tryin' to tell me?"

His voice was low and hoarse, filled with sadness, and his words dropped like heavy stones in her stomach, sending ripples of nausea and shame throughout her body.

"That's not what I meant! It's just that this is when one person gets, I don't know, bored or irritated or whatever with the other person, and they don't mean for things to happen but you start talking with other people, and what's the harm in just _talking_, and then it's going out for a few drinks and hardly ever coming home, later and later until one night you don't show up at all, because you've gone and messed up, but instead of fixing things it gets worse and worse, and it's not just one woman now but two, and then a whole damn _string_ of them, and-"

Words were pouring out of her as fast and hot as lava, and with the same power to destroy. Soul knew he had to stop this before they were both burned beyond recognition.

"You're talkin' about you're dad, aren't you." he said flatly. He was surprised at the level of hatred he felt for his father-in-law. He had thought they had moved past that stage, into a state of exasperated acceptance towards the red haired menace, but seeing the effect his past actions were having on his marriage made poisonous emotions bubble up like a long forgotten spring.

Taking her silence for an answer, he continued, "Five years in, and he starts messin' around, I get that. But how could you possibly think I'd do the same thing? We've been over all this before!"

Her fingers twisted themselves into knots, her breath coming in short, uncontrolled bursts as she tried to make him understand.

"Because we've already followed the pattern this far! We started out as weapon and meister, I was top of the class and you were a scythe, and together, we made you a Deathscythe. Then we started dating, and got married at nearly the same age they did. And now you're going to be the main Deathscythe, and everything else just seems so inevitable..."

"Not everything's the same. For one, we don't have kids."

Her head whipped to face him, a look of hurt in her eyes. "Are you saying that if my parents hadn't had me, my father wouldn't have-"

"No! Hell no! Don't put words into my mouth! You're dad would've been a dick whether they'd had ten kids or none. And before you get any other weird ideas, you know I want kids, but you've always said you weren't ready yet. Although now I have to think it was less about you being ready and more about havin' one less thing in common with your parents."

Soul had to take a few moments to think and weigh his words with deliberation. Whatever he said now had the power to make or break them.

"Maka," he began carefully, "When we got married, those weren't just empty words I said. They were promises, _vows_, and I know that that doesn't mean much to a lot of people, but I was serious about them; you know I never go back on my word. One of the things we promised each other is that we would do better than our families, wouldn't make the same mistakes that they did. Yeah, we may share a lot in common with your parents, but think about it. We've done a lot of other things, too. We lived on our own instead of in the dorms like most of the others. We were the only kids crazy enough to drive around everywhere like maniacs on a motorcycle like we did; that we never wrecked is a miracle in and of itself. We got me to Deathscythe leve, not once but _twice_, and even with that I was still one of the youngest ones in history. We dealt with the black blood, somethin' that not a lot of people would've been able to handle. And we've gone up against enemies we had no business messin' with, and we still beat them, even if sometimes it was by pullin' a trick out of our asses at the last minute. We've broken rules and disobeyed direct orders to do what we thought was right. Maka, we never followed set patterns...we've always broken them and made our own."

Hardly daring to look at her for fear he might not have gotten through to her, he kept his eyes firmly closed, every possible outcome of this conversation playing out across the insides of his eyelids. Suddenly, a smaller hand was placed tentatively over his own. Breathing ceased to be an option as he slowly turned his head to look at her, afraid any sudden movement would cause her to bolt. Her eyelids were rimmed in pink, and the lashes were clumped together from the wetness of tears than just barely managed to keep from falling. Her lips quivered as they tried to form words, having to make several attempts before succeeding.

"Soul...I'm sorry. I know I've been really, really stupid over something that's not even a big deal."

His lungs began to work once more as the breath he didn't realize he was holding was released in a shaky sigh. A turning point had been reached, and maybe, just maybe, they could put the months of pain behind them if they talked a little more. Scooting sideways, he put his arms around her waist as he positioned himself to sit with his back against the headboard, pulling her to sit between his outstretched legs, resting his chin on her shoulder. They were both trembling hard, he noticed, the effects of the adrenaline draining from their systems.

"No, you're not stupid, and it was a big deal. The whole thing with your parents was really tough on you. For a long time, I thought it was going to put you off of relationships for good. Then we got closer and you seemed to get better, and I guess I just thought that we had dealt with that and moved on." he spoke softly in her ear, rubbing her arms gently.

"I thought I was over it. It really hasn't bothered me in a long time. But after we passed this anniversary, I just kept seeming to think about it more and more, and it started eating away at me. Now I feel terrible; I know I've been hard to live with lately, but you're important to me, and the thought of losing you like that was more than I could handle rationally without my emotions clouding my judgement."

"Hey, everyone has fears that can overwhelm them at times. The five year mark just happened to be a trigger for yours. It's natural to be afraid that you're gonna lose somethin' important to you, but from now on, you need to just tell me when this happens so we can get through it together. I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is. And you know, you could have asked around to see if I was doing something wrong, or asked Kid about all the meetings we've been at. He wouldn't lie to you."

"I couldn't do that! You don't check up on people you're supposed to trust!" she squeaked indignantly.

Soul shook his head, careful not to dig his chin into her shoulder too hard. "You have the weirdest logic of anyone I know, but that's one of the things that drew me to you in the first place."

"It's just hard to believe you haven't gotten bored yet...married life isn't really as exciting as when we first started dating; a lot of people hit a point where they want something..._fresher_."

"Maka, I think you're confusing 'excitement' with 'drama'. I was more scared out of my mind than excited when we first started dating. Would I do something stupid and screw it up? Would our first fight be our last? Am I really good enough? And then later on, it was, is it okay if I'm horny? Is she horny? _Can we be horny together?_ And dear god, the beginner sex...it was exciting, but it wasn't something I'd like to repeat!"

She wiggled around enough to look at him in surprise. "What was wrong with the sex? I thought you liked it!"

"Are you forgettin' the first time you tried to give me a blowjob? The only thing that saved you from me choking you to death was when you bit me!_ Bit me!"_

Maka pouted, two tiny lines forming between her eyes. "That was because you wouldn't hold still! You were thrusting too hard!"

Soul rolled his eyes at his youthful stupidity. "Yeah, 'cause I didn't realize that virgins didn't instantly know how to deepthroat. All I was goin' by was porn and _excitement_. And remember how long it took before we could change positions without me slippin' out? I don't think I stopped feelin' like a total derp until we'd been having sex for at least the first month and a half. Didn't help that we didn't get to do it very often since we always had to worry about Blair poppin' up."

She tilted her head down, her hair flowing between them to form a curtain that hid her face. "But you wouldn't have to go through all that again with someone else. This time you'd know exactly what to do, with someone whose reactions you couldn't predict better than a magic eight ball. And it's not just the sex; it's the everyday stuff, too."

Soul pulled her hair back over her shoulder, tilting her chin up so she could see how serious he was. "Maka, you picked me to spend every day for the rest of your life with. Not just the fluffy kitten and rainbow shitting unicorn ones, but the hard times, the days that bad things happen and you're completely miserable, when people you love die and you have to grieve, when life hands you things you can't handle alone. Out of all the other guys you could have had, you _chose me_. That's not boring, that's _amazing_. Why would I wanna give that up? You're the person that understands me best, that I can count on to be there when I need you. We're a team, and that goes a lot farther than being meister and weapon. And I love the fact that I know all of your reactions. It's easier to know what to do to make you happy that way."

Maka turned to face him, resting her cheek on his shoulder, her tears soaking through the thin material of his dress shirt, causing it to cling hot and damp to his skin. She gave a small, hiccupy laugh as she put her arms around his neck, curling her legs up under her.

"So basically, what you're saying is that you're too lazy to cheat on me."

He pulled her away to wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, lips parting into a smile at the glint of mischief in her eyes. This was more like Maka; the warm, sassy girl he had fallen in love with. He was unable to resist kissing her, but he kept it small, meaning it to be reassuring more than anything else, his arms tightening around her waist as she responded, her hands running up his neck to cup his cheeks. Soul was about to break away when he felt her soul touch his, and his leapt at the contact, their souls rubbing and twining around each other like cats. Information was passed between them in a matter of heartbeats; the sadness and isolation each had felt, her turmoil and his confusion. Apologies and forgiveness, and the mutual desire to move on. The kiss deepened as repressed desires began to awaken, the longing to express themselves physically becoming harder to keep under control. There was a brief hesitation as they sought to determine whether the other was ready or if more time was needed; the conclusion they reached was that it was pointless to wait when both of them wanted to be together as they were meant to be.

Soul ended the kiss, not moving as he spoke against her lips, his voice heavy with emotions that he didn't quite know the best way to go about expressing. "I've missed you."

Maka heard the deeper meaning to his words, understanding that he didn't mean just the sex, but all aspects of their relationship. Not for the first time, she was almost overwhelmed with love for this man who seemed to fit with her in every way, their differences contrasting just enough to complement the other. Why had she pushed him away again? Her logic seemed full of holes, the reasoning that of a hurt child instead of the confident woman she was. It had been too long since she had shown him any affection, too long since they had been able to enjoy the simple act of loving and being loved. Paranoia fled her heart, leaving her lighter and happier than she had been in a long time.

"I've missed you too. I don't think I've mentioned how good you've looked the last few times you've had to dress up for one of these meetings, have I?" she asked, trailing her fingers from his face down to dip into the hollow of his neck, dancing along the edges of his collar.

"Not a word. Thought I was losing my devastating good looks; you're usually more...appreciative of me in a suit."

"We can't have that, now can we? Let me properly show you my appreciation." she said playfully.

Soul smiled at her familiar teasing, then struggled to move away as he realized what she was about to do. "Wait, Maka, no! Not again-"

RIIIIIIIIIP!

The sound of expensive cloth being ripped filled the air, Maka's grin widening with the pop of each button as it flew off.

Shrugging out of his ruined shirt as her hands danced along the muscles of his chest, following the trail of his scar, he said with faint exasperation, "You know, if you're gonna keep doing that, you really should learn how to sew on a button."

Maka made the mistake of sticking out her tongue at him, and before she could blink, his mouth was on hers, sucking and licking, his tongue darting into her mouth to tap over her teeth.

'You should also learn not to stick that out if you're not willing to use it." he said with a smug smirk.

Defiantly, she stuck it out again. He laughed, fingering the thin strap of her gown. "Someone's back to their usual contrary self."

Flipping him to the side, she slid down the bed, snapping open the button on his slacks and undoing the zipper, reaching in to fondle him through his black and green striped boxers.

"I believe my blowjob skills came into question earlier. Let's see if I've managed to improve." she grinned cheekily, playing with the opening of the fly on his boxers, stopping just short of touching flesh.

Soul propped himself on his elbows, watching as she uncovered him, encircling him with her hand. "Hey, I only said that about the first time. You got a lot bETer! WHoa!" he yelped, not expecting her to take him all the way in just yet. Usually she would begin with sucking on the head or licking his shaft, but tonight she seemed intent on measuring his dick with her throat.. He hadn't been lying when he said she had gotten better; After her first failed attempt at oral, she had set about practicing with a determination that Soul had been fully supportive of.

Now he had one hand tangled in her hair as his hips gave short, jerky movements, her mouth applying just the right amount of pressure as her tongue massaged his length. His body was screaming for release, and he knew it was going to be a struggle to hold out, since he hadn't even been taking care of himself these past few weeks. Hopefully she wouldn't think to use her special trick, or he'd be coming like a teenager all over again. He raised his gaze from her mouth to her eyes, and that's when she struck. They had discovered pretty early that the humming technique was amazing, but Maka was never satisfied with a move without putting her own spin on it. She had tried a variety of different songs, and had finally hit on a combination that ensured his swift release. Any song was nice, but what really got him going was when she hummed a _dirty_ song, looking him straight in the eye. There was just something about the combination of seeing himself in the mouth of prudish Maka Albarn as she hummed songs that nice little girls didn't know, all the while wearing the look of 'good girl doing something naughty.' It got him off then, and it still did all these years later, even though he knew that the label of 'prude' was something she had long since discarded.

His toes curled as he fought to last just a few minutes longer, but Maka wasn't going to let him get away with that. Taking the hand that had been at his balls, she squeezed her breast, winking at him as she did. It was all too much for him to handle, and his upper body dropped to the bed as he pushed up using his heels for a final thrust, snarling her name as he shot down her throat.

He watched with blurry eyes as she crawled up his body to lay on his heaving chest, a triumphant victory smirk on the lips that had been wrapped around him only moments before.

"Fuuuuuck." he croaked, unable to articulate his gratitude any better than that.

'No way. I'm not doing _all_ the work." she said, tweaking his nipple.

He hissed at the sharpness, then caught her off guard as he rolled her under him, his own countenance becoming devious as she squealed in surprise.

Kicking his pants and boxers the rest of the way off, he leaned down, licking at the patch of skin just behind her earlobe, her body going taut under his as he brought a hand up to ghost along the underside of her breast, the slippery material between them adding to the sensation. His fingers lazily circled higher and higher, before he gave a sudden, sharp pinch to her nipple, much like she had done to him. She jerk forward with a strangled gasp, and he snickered into her ear.

"You know it's coming, but you always jump. You're so damn cute!"

She huffed, turning her face away in embarrassment, cheeks turning the same rosy color as her nightgown. Which reminded Soul that Maka was far too overdressed for the occasion. Lowering his head, he attached himself to the crease of Maka's neck, all the while raising her nightgown higher and higher over her body, as she shifted beneath him to make its removal easier. Flinging the cumbersome garment over his shoulder, he fitted his hands around each breast, reacquainting himself with their weight and texture. He had always loved her tits; they were so round, and supple, so edible, and why wasn't his mouth on them yet? Remedying that, he lapped gently at the hardened bud he had treated roughly, taking it between his lips and giving it a firm suck. Breathy moans spurred him on as he used his teeth to scrape faint red lines across her skin, tiny pinpricks of pleasure that made her wrap one arm around his head and the other around his shoulders to anchor him in he felt he had mauled her chest sufficiently, he sat up, despite her whimpers of protest.

For the first time that night, he got a look at her panties, and he let out a cackle of glee. They were black and orange zebra print with a black lace waistband, the rest of the material being thin and meshlike, doing absolutely nothing to block her from his hungry eyes.

"Wow, Maka! If I didn't know better, I'd say you planned for this to happen. You know I love it when you break out the animal prints. But this is an herbivore; you've always been more of a predator. Unleeeeess," he teased, running a finger around the waistband, rolling it over the gentle curve of her hip bones, "Unless this is your way of saying you want to be the prey?"

"Tell me," he said, his voice dropping, "Do you want to be eaten?" waiting for her response, he lay his fingers over her slit, shuddering at how she had completely soaked through her panties.

"Damn it," she growled, trying to press herself into his hand, his light touches doing nothing to satiate the fire that was burning within her, "Are you really going to tease me right now? This isn't exactly the time!"

He gave a sharp laugh, thrusting his hand past the waistband to fondle her directly, parting her folds and thrusting a finger inside. "This is the best time to tease you. Whenever I piss you off, you just get that much tighter."

Picking up the pace, he added a second finger, using his thumb to press down on her clit.  
He had intended to go down on her, but before he could move she was clawing at his arm, pushing him away.

"Enough Soul! I can't take anymore of that tonight. I need you _now_."

He licked his lips, eager to be inside of her, but unable to resist torturing her a bit more.

"Are you sure? You looked like you were enjoying my fingers well enough. And you always seem to like it when I shove my tongue as deep as I can into your hot, wet-"

"Soul, _please!_ Just do it!"

The tears of frustration gathering at the corners of her eyes were his signal to give in, and he settled himself between her legs, entering her in one smooth motion before hesitating as he gave her time to get used to him, her body adjusting to receiving him again after so much time.

To distract himself from the way she was contracting around him, he tried to imprint every sensation on his memory. The way her skin glowed with a warm radiance in the lamplight, how she smelled of sweat and sex and _Maka_, along with a hint of her mango lotion. Her mouth tasted faintly of the cinnamon toothpaste she must have used before he came home, the sharpness of the flavor making his tongue tingle as he kissed her. He reveled in the way their bodies sounded as they moved together, her shaky voice calling his name as their hips ground against each other.

He slowed down, raising his chest from hers, his hands applying pressure to her hips.

"Turn over for me."

Maka did as he asked, knowing that he would hit her deeper in this position. She braced herself on her forearms as he sped back up, one of his hands gliding up her ribcage to grasp a gently swaying breast.

"I know all about how to please your body, Maka. I know what doesn't do a thing for you, and what drives you crazy." he grit out. "You always come harder in this position, especially when I grope your tits. You'd come even faster if I reached down and played with your clit."

Before he could suit action to word she turned on her side, his head lolling back at the twisting motion around his cock as one shapely leg was tossed over his shoulder. He gripped her leg for better leverage, his teeth sinking into the velvety flesh of her calf, knowing she was going to have bite marks all over it tomorrow.

"I know...what makes you go crazy too." she threw back at him, her hips matching his thrust for thrust. Her soul slammed into his, and he was hit with a barrage of sensory memory, selections from some of their most intense lovemaking sessions flooding his mind, threatening to drown him. Their first heavy make out on the couch, fumbling with clothes, desperate for skin on skin contact as unsure hands roamed everywhere at once. The first time they went all the way, his nervous system jumping as he attempted to pleasure the girl underneath him. The time she had tied him up and made him beg her to let him come. The mind blowing discovery that they could send emotional feedback through resonance, and how they had spent hours making each other come without touching. Getting home after a three week long mission where they had had to share a room with other people, and how they hadn't made it past the front hall before tearing off their clothes and fucking like wild animals. The event in London for top Deathscythes and their meisters, where they had spiced up a boring networking party by whispering increasingly raunchy suggestions to each other each time they passed as they worked the room, politely interacting with their colleagues, until they were able to make it to the back seat of their rented limo. The night he had proposed, making slow love to her as he drew out her pleasure as long as he could.

All of the sensations from these times and others rushed through him, the wild, sensuous waves finally tossing him back onto the beach of consciousness. As he became aware of the present, he found he had somehow repositioned them once more, having grasped each of her calves and spreading them wide, raising them to place her shins on the pillows as he moved over her, his hips thrusting uncontrollably. She was crying his name out by his ear, her nails dragging sharp furrows across his shoulder blades and down his spine. He felt the telltale spasming of her walls as they clamped down and milked him for all he was worth, and he felt his spine slip into another dimension as their orgasms hit.

The room was silent except for the sounds of their breathing, the soft rustle of sheets as they arranged themselves more comfortably. Soul caught the hand that was stroking his scar, giving her a loopy grin.

"There's no way in hell you can convince me that that was boring." he said, words slurred from sex.

Maka hummed contentedly, her mind coming to a decision. "Hey Soul?" she asked almost shyly.

"Hmm?"

"You know how you mentioned earlier that you would like to have kids? I...I think I'm ready for that too, if you still want-"

Soul had jack-knifed into a sitting position to look down at her in amazement.

She thought she had said something wrong until he grinned, not the usual crooked one that made her weak in the knees, but a different one; the one that he had worn the first time they made love, when he had proposed, the same one as when he met her at the alter.

"You mean it?" he asked hopefully, not quite daring to believe he was going to get something he had been wanting for so long.

"Yeah. I've actually wanted to for a while now, but now it just seems..._right_. Hey, wait a minute! Soul, what are you doing?"

His grin had morphed into something more predatory as he stalked his way up her body, his exhaustion forgotten. "Gettin' ready to make a baby, what does it look like?"

She smacked his shoulder, her laugh ringing in his ears like the sound of angels singing. "You idiot, I'm still on birth control! I have to go off of that for a while first!"

"Maka, Maka, Maka...beatin' the odds is what we do, remember? I'm up for the challenge if you are."

She slid out from under him, tackling him to the mattress. "I'm up for anything you can dish out, Eater!"

_Soul stared down at the head of cornsilk blond hair on the pillow next to him. Maka was going to kill him if she found her in their bed. He should make her leave. He really should. Cuddling her one last time, he went to make her move, when she kissed the scar on his chest, and he melted. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt. He ran his fingers through her h_air, _not hearing the front door open and close, or the sound of his wife's footsteps coming down the hall._

_"Well, I see what happens when I turn my back for a minute. Soul, I thought we had agreed this wasn't going to happen again." Maka said with mock severity as she kicked off her shoes, coming to stand over the two figures snuggled in her bed._

_"Hey, she_ _waited till morning, so it's not a big deal." Soul said, giving her puppy eyes._

_"And?" Maka asked, knowing there was more._

_"And, she did the whole, 'kiss daddy's scar to make it better' thing." he admitted sheepishly, smiling a little_ when _Maka giggled_.

_Maka found it hilarious that Mr. Cool, suave Deathscythe was totally gaga over their three year old daughter. In fact, she wasn't sure who was worse, him or her own papa._

_"What are you doin' home, anyway? I thought you were gone for the day."_

_Instead of answering, Maka spoke to the little girl that was clinging like a marsupial onto Soul._

_"Honey, can you move over so Mama can lay next to Daddy?"_

_The child shook her head, the stubborn set to her jaw pure Maka._

_"Ladies, ladies! No need to fight, there's enough of this fine specimen to go around!" he joked, scootching his daughter to the farther side of the bed, so he could move to the middle._

_"We'll see if you're still saying that eight months from now." Maka said as she burrowed into his other side, draping an arm across his chest to tousle her daughter's hair._

_"Eight months? What's in...wait, you don't mean..."_

_"Congratulations," Maka said dryly, kissing him on the cheek. "You've finally beaten the odds."_

_"We're really havin' another baby?" he asked, already making plans._

_A little head popped up on the other_ _side, intelligent eyes taking in what was going on._

"_Mama's gonna have a baby?" she asked curiously, fascinated by the idea._

_"Yup. That means you're gonna be a big sister." Soul answered, wondering how she would take the news._

_"There's gonna be a baby in Mama's tummy? Like Miss Susan?" She asked again, naming the_ _daycare teacher she went to when both parents had to work._

_"Yeah, there's gonna be a baby in there. What do you think about that?"_

_The girl cocked her head to one side, then the other, leaning forward to whisper loudly to Soul._

_"Daddy, we're_ _gonna need a bigger bed."_

_Soul roared with laughter as Maka squawked indignantly. Life certainly wasn't boring. And though there were hard times, like there were in everyone's life, times of sadness and arguing and irritation, they managed to balance it out with plenty of good times and laughter, filling their house with joy and_ _warmth. They had broken out of the patterns Maka had been so afraid they would follow; broken them, and rewoven them into a brilliant pattern of their own. And looking down at the smiling faces of his wife and daughter, Soul knew he had been right all along; he wouldn't trade these simple pleasures for all the excitement in the world. It was already_ _exciting enough for him._

_"And Soul? Stein confirmed what I thought; there are two souls. We're having twins!"_

Holy shit. They really _were_ gonna need a bigger bed.


End file.
